Blank Canvas
by Akai-Pyon
Summary: It's been several years since Touko last lay eyes on N after their fateful battle. And now…she found him again. Except…there's just one thing wrong. N has forgotten everything.


**Blank Canvas**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Pokémon belongs to Game Freak etc. I do not own it, because if I did, there would be more Dragon type Pokémon.

**A/N:** This will be a NxTouko fanfiction. So if you disapprove of this pairing or if you are a yaoi fan (which I usually am, but…I just like NxTouko more than NxTouya. Live with it.), then you may click the back button and never have to click this link again.

Oh, and this plot is entirely mine. SO PAWS OFF.

Oh, and each chapter will have a song to go with it. That song will be the title of the chapter.

**Summary:** It's been several years since Touko last lay eyes on N after their fateful battle. And now…she found him again. Except…there's just one thing wrong. N has forgotten everything.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Amies-Ennemies<strong>

Touko reclined against the fountain in Castelia City, leaning her head back and bracing her body against the marble on the back of her hands. She sighed softly, glancing out of the corner of her eyes at her Pokémon. Samurott, nicknamed Kaito, rested his head next to Touko, watching her out of the corner of his eye. The water Pokémon had always been perceptive of what his trainer was feeling.

Silently, Touko ran her finger over the smooth surface of the minimized Pokeball that rested on her belt. Reshiram, no nickname needed. Touko couldn't think up anything that befit the swan like creature. Reshiram, her partner after night descended, because the darkness always gave them better cover, as she and the rest of her Pokémon set out to look for the Seven Sages.

Two years had passed since Touko last lay eyes on their king. N. Everything about him still remained clear in her memory.

Before she could go too far into her memories, her Mienshao, nicknamed Aki, tugged on her hand. "Mien, Mienshao!" Aki's dark red eyes looked up at Touko, before the purple furred Pokémon nudged Kaito as well. The Samurott raised his head, snorting a lazy jet of water at Aki.

Aki glared at Kaito, before whipping his arms in a swift circle, deflecting the spray of water. The Fighting type quickly got the attention of Touko's other Pokémon. An elegant and esteemed Volcarona nicknamed Rei, a stubborn and headstrong Zweilous nicknamed Ryuu and the ever mischievous and impish Emolga named Daichi all turned to look at Aki.

Touko began paying attention to Aki as well. The Pokémon had always been the most perceptive of her entire party, and when he wanted them to see something, he was always insistent upon it. Returning all but Aki to their respective Pokeballs, Touko stood up, stretching as she wiped her hands on her jean shorts.

"Alright Aki," she murmured softly. "Lead the way."

Aki nodded once, before he began running in the direction of the Pokémon Center, scampering agilely through the crowd. He glanced back every now and then, obviously growing impatient with his slow trainer. "Mien!" he cried, finally having had enough waiting. He dove into a small alley, as Touko struggled past a large crowd of tourists.

"Oh my—Was that Touko?" a woman gasped, as the trainer ran past.

_Aki! Slow down!_ Touko pleaded silently, as people, drawn by the woman's cry, turned to look at her. She felt a furious blush creep up on her cheeks, and pulled her hat further over her eyes. She really needed to invest in either a new wardrobe or just…a new appearance in general. She sighed softly. Now where did Aki go?

"Mien!"

_Oh. That's where he went._

Touko approached the alley she had heard her Mienshao's voice coming from, holding her breath against the smell of the dumpster that was right next to her. Shady people were dealing in shady things all around her, as she moved forward almost cautiously. The shadows cast by the buildings towering next to her lowered the temperature by practically twenty degrees. Shivering, Touko rubbed her arms, as she stepped forward again.

"Aki?" she called out softly, afraid of disturbing the thugs and whatnot that leaned against the walls, watching her silently. She bit her lip. _Must…remain…strong…_she thought as she took another step.

Her Mienshao appeared then, dragging something behind him. Aki's face was determined, as he turned to look at Touko, before dropping what he had been dragging in front of her.

Touko stared down at the package, slowly taking it in. It was a body. A human. Dead? No…Touko knelt down, pressing her fingers to the bared neck. No…they were still breathing. Who was this?

Something in the back of Touko's mind told her that she should know who this was. That...if the man's hair was green instead of black…Touko reached out with her hand, picking up a clump of hair.

Her hand came away black – stained with ink.

Touko's breath left her body in a gasp, as she stared, dumbstruck by the sight in front of her. N. It was really him. The former King of Team Plasma. What was he doing behind a dumpster in Castelia City? She hesitantly lifted up the hem of his shirt. He still had all his Pokeballs, so obviously, he hadn't been mugged…

"Aki, return," she murmured, as the Mienshao seemed to glare at her. A flash of red light and Aki was gone. She tossed another ball into the air. It opened, revealing Ryuu. The Zweilous looked at her steadily, before nudging N. "Help me bring him to the Pokémon Center," Touko ordered, standing up.

She felt numb, no emotions capable of pouring through her body right now. Either this was a dream or she was hallucinating. Well, if it was a dream, might just as well let it go.

One of Ryuu's heads reached down, seeming to glare at the other, as though daring it to steal the body from him. But the other head was faced towards Touko, as she reached forward and put a hand on his head.

"Zwei…" the Dragon-type growled softly, as N was moved onto his back. He began walking slowly out of the alley, Touko following silently alongside. She couldn't believe it, couldn't even begin to comprehend it.

Why was N here? How had he ended up behind the dumpster? Why was his hair black? So many questions yet…he was unconscious, clearly unable to answer any of them. Briefly, Touko wondered if he still had Zekrom on him. Possible, since N had been so attached to the legendary when she last saw him.

They walked through the city, the crowd parting for her and her Pokémon, carrying the unconscious man on his back. Whispers floated around her, but Touko couldn't listen to them. She couldn't hear them or process them. Instead…she was reliving that last battle with N.

"_Zekrom! Fusion Bolt!" N's voice rang with authority, as he lashed out with his hand, as though he could physically touch Touko. His eyes burned with the desire for victory, shared by his black Pokémon as Zekrom soared high into the air, a large blue ball of death supported over his head._

"_Reshiram!" Touko kept her cool, her eyes focused on N as she ordered her Pokémon one last time. She knew Zekrom was almost spent. The legendary, although did not look exhausted, was nonetheless sporting a much smaller ball of lightning than it had when they first started. "Fusion Flare!"_

_Reshiram too was exhausted. The two trainers and their legendaries had been at this battle for well over six hours. Touko had spent up almost all the Full Restores she had brought with her on this endeavor and her bag lay pathetically empty by her side. She had one Revive left, tucked in her pocket, and one more Full Restore, which rested by her foot on the other side, ready for use._

_Touko raised her hand to cover her eyes, as debris flew all around her. Stones from the pillars, from the tiles beneath her, as Reshiram and Zekrom met one more time, their cries melding and twining until it was a simple echo around them._

_Time stood still, as Touko's breath rasped in her throat. Both trainers' eyes were lifted up towards their Pokémon, as Zekrom and Reshiram faced off for one more time, glaring at each other in the air._

_And then…Zekrom was falling._

_Reshiram, not soon after Zekrom crashed onto the ground, descended, shoulders sagging. An equivalent to a human gasping and panting for breath – which was exactly what Touko was doing. The relief, and triumph, that came from winning such a crucial battle left her absolutely exhausted, as though she had been the one taking actual damage. Reaching down, she grabbed the Full Restore._

"_Come here," she beckoned her Reshiram, her breath barely capable of rising above a whisper. The eerie silence that followed the intense battle was deafening. Touko licked her lips, trying to calm her heart rate as she began healing the white legendary._

_She looked over at N, who stood, almost dumb-founded, next to his fainted Zekrom. "N…" Touko's voice was soft, but he seemed to hear it. He looked up, before pulling his hat over his eyes._

"_Congratulations," he breathed, stroking Zekrom's neck._

_That was all they managed to say before Ghetsis appeared._

"Touko?"

The girl started, before looking at her surroundings. It appeared as though she had finally reached the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy looked at her, worried, as several Chansey began removing N from Ryuu's back. Touko looked at Nurse Joy blankly, before realizing her name had been uttered.

"Oh! I'm sorry," she muttered, glancing at N out of the corner of her eye. "Could you, um, heal him or something?" she motioned absentmindedly with her hand, as she returned Ryuu to his Pokeball.

"I think I'd better take you in too," Nurse Joy narrowed her eyes. "Do you have a fever?"

"I'm fine!" Touko insisted, shaking off her memories. She tucked her hat back on her head, pulling her ponytail through, before forcing a broad smile. "See?"

"…I don't believe you," Nurse Joy murmured under her breath. But since a crowd was gathering, she pulled Touko inside the Pokémon Center, following the Chansey and N. "I'll see what I can do." She said in reference to N. "In the meantime, why don't you just go rest or something? You look exhausted."

It seemed as though the memory of the battle had brought back what her body had felt in those hours. Touko nodded, closing her eyes. The day had taken quite a dramatic turn. She glanced at the clock. She had plenty of time before she was supposed to be meeting Touya for a dinner.

Touko had met Touya in Nimbasa City, while participating in a musical last year. They had taken an immediate liking to each other, and Touya asked her out a few months after she defeated N. They'd been going steady ever since but…Touko had always felt as though she didn't deserve it.

After all…maybe she harbored some sort of secret that would get in the way of their relationship sometime in the future. Maybe the only reason why she allowed herself to go out with Touya to begin with was because she knew N would not be coming back.

And yet…here he was.

Touko sat down heavily in the Pokémon Center's guest rooms, cradling her head in her hands. She flopped backwards, staring up at the underside of the bunk above her. Sighing softly, Touko put her arm over her eyes. "What am I supposed to do?" she murmured softly. "Touya will know immediately something is wrong. He won't stop bugging me about it…"

It seemed so trivial. A relationship between teenagers, unsure of where they were going to be going in life, yet…now there was a new wrinkle.

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, her Xtransceiver was vibrating violently in her pocket. She jerked upright, hitting her head on the bunk above her. Wincing as she rubbed the spot, she quickly pulled out the device, checking the time as she went.

Incoming call from…Touya!

_Touya…_Touko stared down at the screen, before pressing the button that would open the connection. "Touya!" she smiled broadly, keeping her voice happy as she greeted him. Touya looked back at her.

"Hey Touko," he greeted her. "How are you? Excited for tonight? We're still on, right? I mean, the reigning Unova heroine doesn't have anything special to do because the public wants her to?"

Touko laughed lightly. Touya always knew how to get her spirits up. "Not tonight," Touko reassured him. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Nimbasa. I should be heading over there as soon as the musical is over, since the flight is only about what, an hour? Musical shouldn't go over two hours, so I can make it to Castelia and we can have some spare time before our reservation at seven." He rattled off the facts easily; seemingly very happy about what was going to be happening later.

Suddenly, Touya glanced around, before lowering his voice. "Between you and me, I think Minccino really, really wants to be a rock star. Oh, and she wants me to tell you to say hi to Daichi for her." He laughed, and Touko cracked a smile. Touya's Minccino got along famously with Touko's Daichi. The two of them were inseparable, the best of friends.

"I'll pass on the message," Touko nodded.

Suddenly, Touya turned around. "Ah. It's starting. See you soon! Love you!" he smiled at Touko, before disconnecting.

Touko sighed, rolling the device around in her hands before standing up. Three hours before she was supposed to meet Touya. She must have napped for two hours. Stretching, she quickly brushed her hair, before tucking it back through her cap. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her shirt, before heading out into the hall.

Where would N be?

Slowly, she walked around the Pokémon Center, before heading towards the main lobby. Nurse Joy smiled at her. "There. Don't you feel better after resting?" she asked softly, as she tucked a strand of stray hair behind Touko's ear. "Come on. He's awake."

She led Touko to another room, opening the door.

"You have a guest," she smiled at the boy.

N looked up. His hair had been washed, the ink finally gone from the strands, leaving the sort of hazy green that Touko remembered so well.

"Hello," Touko murmured, as she closed the door behind her. N closed the book he had been reading, putting it off to the side.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

-x-

**A/N:** Eheh. A cliffhanger. And yes, I know this chapter is kind of short. But it's the chapter that sets everything up! Kind of.

Name of the song: Amies-Ennemies by Nadiya. It's a French song talking about people that used to be friends and now they're enemies...and yeah.

Please review!

Akai-Pyon


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